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Donkey and elephant shadows on US flag
Is this still 2022, the year that was supposed to be terrible for President Biden and the Democrats? Not only did Democrats do very well in November’s midterms, but they’ve been celebrating more political victories for democracy ever since.
It was all capped last week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington to thank Biden, Congress and the American people for uniting world democracies to provide massive military and humanitarian assistance preventing the savage invasion by Russia from destroying their nation.
Zelensky, the most admired freedom fighter in the world, was interrupted 18 times in his emotional speech to a joint session of Congress with standing ovations and enthusiastic cheers from both Democrats and Republicans. It was the first public demonstration of bipartisan political unity since the violent insurrection by President Trump and his rioting supporters to overthrow Biden’s election two years ago.
Eighteen Senate Republicans put some real money behind their support the next day by joining all 50 Senate Democrats in passing a $1.7 trillion budget agreement to fund many of Biden’s priorities for next year including $45 billion in new funding for Ukraine.
Deserving Our Help
Before Zelensky’s speech, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell essentially endorsed Biden’s pledge to continue sending military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”
“The Ukrainian people are courageous and innocent and they deserve our help,” McConnell said. “The most basic reasons for continuing to help Ukraine degrade and defeat the Russian invaders are cold, hard, practical American interests.”
That’s also the view of most Americans with one glaring exception. Most House Republicans boycotted Zelensky’s speech. They’re openly hostile to continuing what they denigrate as writing “blank checks” to Ukraine. They continue to support former President Trump’s relentless efforts to undermine democracy and free and fair elections in America as well.
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Only nine of the current 213 House Republicans in the House voted for the bipartisan budget bill. House Republicans opposed the budget both houses passed because now they’ll have to wait until next October to threaten to shut down the government to disrupt the U.S. economy under Biden.
To exact political revenge against the Senate Republicans who privately aren’t all that eager to return to the divisive national chaos of Trump’s presidency, Kevin McCarthy, still struggling to win votes from extreme Republicans to become Speaker, has vowed to kill any bills sponsored by the 18 Senate Republicans voting for the budget agreement.
Voter Backlash
Senate Republicans have good reason to fear the voter backlash against anti-American rightwing policies leading to Republican losses in three straight national elections will continue in 2024 unless they distance themselves from Trump and his most violent supporters.
That’s why the year-end budget agreement between Democrats and Republicans also included a provision aimed squarely at preventing a repeat of the violent January 6 insurrection.
The provision updated a vaguely written 1887 law Trump tried to use to remain as president after his election defeat. The update makes it clear the vice president presiding over the public counting of electoral votes by Congress has only a ceremonial role and no power to reject certified state election results.
For weeks, Trump tried to browbeat his vice president Mike Pence into throwing out electoral votes Biden won in six states including Wisconsin and replacing them with fraudulent Trump electoral votes submitted by Republicans in those states. When Pence refused, Trump summoned the violent mob to Washington inciting their rampage through the Capitol threatening the lives of elected Republicans and Democrats. Their loudest cries were to hang Pence.
One of the last acts by the House under Speaker Nancy Pelosi was to adopt the final report by the bipartisan House January 6 Committee recommending four criminal charges against Trump for his role in the violent insurrection. Ironically, that’s exactly what Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell advocated after Trump’s second impeachment trial even though he didn’t have the political courage himself to join the seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump for creating the insurrection.
As House and Senate Republicans continue to fight among themselves over whether to become a pro-American political party again, Democrats will be united behind Biden to continue fighting to repair the damage Trump inflicted on our democracy.
It’s true the ugly political chaos planned by the even more extreme Republican House majority for the next two years will prevent Biden from passing much new legislation. But that could be far more politically damaging for Republicans than for Democrats.
Fortunately, the first two years of Biden’s administration may have been the most productive half term in presidential history. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure law alone will continue creating jobs and community improvements throughout America.
The sudden return to congressional gridlock by House Republicans won’t be popular with voters who want their elected leaders to deal with the economic problems they face in their daily lives.
